Definitions

1. verb

used in the past tense of ‘to be’

“They were students at that university.”

2. past plural of ‘be’

used as a plural form of the verb ‘to be’ in the past tense

“They were at the party last night.”

3. noun

a past tense verb used as a noun

“The were, the is, and the will be.”

4. auxiliary verb

used to form the past perfect tense

“By the time I arrived, they had been working here for hours, and they were tired.”